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Essay / The issue of stereotypes in “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”
One of the many issues today concerns stereotypes. It can affect many people in different ways. Cultural stereotypes can be a tricky subject because people outside of the culture will attempt to categorize a culture that creates stereotypes. Although some stereotypes can be positive, most stereotypes are negative and seem to be created to attack the person. This can be seen when comparing Native Americans and Caucasians. The two cultures are very different and the norms of other cultures seem strange. These differences cause conflicts between cultures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayStereotypes can affect people in real life. According to Dwanna L. Robertson, when it comes to stereotyping Indians, people who play Indians in a Thanksgiving play or at a Columbus Day celebration misrepresent them. The worst part is that this has been done so much that when the average person in the United States sees it, they see nothing wrong with it. But for indigenous people, it can be offensive and distorted. Indigenous people feel like many people in the United States view them as lazy drunks. Conflict of Stereotypes Between Native Americans and Caucasians In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, when Arnold, the narrator and main character, first moved to an all-white school, he felt like everyone was going to judge his identity. Even teachers judged him just because he was Indian. On page 85, Arnold wanted to correct his professor, but the professor took the correction personally and decided to discredit him by sarcastically saying that the science in the reservation was so "amazing." And the teacher only admitted he was wrong when another boy confirmed that Arnold was right. In the story, Arnold was stereotyped about the quality of his education because his previous school was on the reservation. Another big stereotype that white people see in Native people is their violent nature. When people depict Native Americans, they usually depict them with weapons in their hands. This shows that many Americans view them as violent or barbaric because they always need a gun. But when you think about it, Native Americans didn't really show signs of violence compared to Euro-Americans. In the history of the United States, it is Euro-Americans who have demonstrated more violence than natives. For example, mass genocide or slavery and confiscation of land from indigenous people. In the story, Arnold admits that his tribesmen can be violent because they like to fight whenever they can, but it also shows how they do it for honor. When Arnold arrived at Reardan and was about to fight, he was surprised when he threw the first punch and won. Not because his opponent was eliminated, but because in Reardan, fighting wasn't a thing. This created conflict when transitioning to another culture, as he was now seen as a savage and this "fight" further contributed to it. But at least he was respected later. What many people don't know is that most Native Americans who live on reservations do not live in good living conditions, some have even said that the living conditions are "third world comparable" . ". Arnold's life could be considered..